In recent years, the price of electronic devices has decreased dramatically. In addition, the types of electronic components that can be purchased have continued to increase. For example, DVD players, large screen TVs, multi-carousel CD and DVD players, MP3 players, video game consoles, and similar consumer electronic items have become more widely available while continuing to drop in price.
The decreasing prices and increasing types of electronic components have packed today's homes and businesses with modern conveniences. Typical homes and businesses now include more power-consuming devices than ever before. As more of these components are sold, the average household power consumption also increases. As power demands increase, the cost of running these devices also increases. The ever-increasing cost of resources, such as electricity, may be a concern. Utility (e.g., resource) providers may even introduce variable pricing, charging more for resources during peak consumption.
As utility or resource costs increase, home owners and businesses may seek to monitor their resource consumption and cost. However, it may be difficult to accurately estimate the cost-to-date for resource consumption in a given time period. Accordingly, systems and methods that improve cost estimate accuracy may be beneficial.